We don’t think too much about it while everyone is trading temperature reports and talking about record breaking lows, but at some point the clash between the weather we are experiencing and the cold tolerance of our plants will become something to reckon with.
We won’t know just how hard our winter was on our plants until late spring.
Even damaged plants may sprout and look like they survived in the earliest parts of spring, but if a plant was winter-killed you will know once the temperatures heat up.
If you have snow cover your plants are better protected; if you have mulches, so much the better and the roots are insulated against “heaving” happening from frost action. Something Northern gardeners often do is inspect their plants once the ground defrosts a bit, then use ones heel to push heaved plants back into the earth. (Things like heucheras are especially susceptible). Roots exposed to wind are more likely to cause plant’s demise than the cold temperatures.
The University of Minnesota, where they know about such things, publishes information on effects of winter damage on trees and shrubs.
Tags: frost action, winter damage
